Games

The Missed Opportunity – Farlight 84: A unique Battle Royale that couldn’t hold its ground

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Story Highlights

  • Farlight 84 could be the game-changer but version 2.0 update pressed the self-destruct button.
  • Removing the jetpacks was the major mistake that the developers failed to understand.
  • Despite some optimistic players, the game seems to be in the “lost” list.

Title “Farlight 84” is an action-packed battle royale game developed by “Farlight Games,” a division of “Lilith Games.” Given its genre’s popularity, it introduced intriguing dynamic elements and innovative gameplay mechanics that quickly drew in players. However, despite the initial success, the game struggled to maintain its momentum over a few years. The developers attempted to revitalize the core aspects, but their efforts seemed futile. What could have been a standout leader in the battle royale genre now teeters on failure. In this article, we’ll delve into why Farlight 84 is a significant missed opportunity within the mobile gaming market.

Featured Column – The Missed Opportunity

Have you ever played a game that left you thinking, “What a shame, I could’ve taken advantage of that moment!” GamingonPhone’s column, “The Missed Opportunity,” examines the same feeling by discussing missed chances in gameplay, design, or marketing for mobile games. Each article investigates what went wrong and offers suggestions on how things might have been improved instead.

A version update that no one wanted

Game updates are designed to ensure a seamless gameplay, with many games regularly rolling out adjustments for balance, publishing patch notes, and fixing bugs to prevent players from feeling isolated. Just like most other games, Farlight 84 committed to keeping its players engaged.

Yet, a significant “however” emerged, causing doubt about whether Farlight 84 desired to preserve the original gaming experience. Adjustments and tweaks in the game are intended for maintaining stability and providing a fair playing field where no single strategy outshines the rest, ensuring equal competition among players.

In simpler terms, if a particular item like a weapon, hero, or skill consistently outperforms others in the game, an update is typically introduced to balance things out. By January 2024, Farlight 84 rolled out its version 2.0 update, introducing some changes that sparked debate among players.

Among all the changes, the most significant was the elimination of the jetpack feature for characters. This update also brought in a fresh character called Marad Nova Phase 11 Battle Pass, refined certain rank systems, and more.

In their dedication to introduce captivating in-game elements, the developers attempted to revamp the game through this update. However, their efforts backfired significantly as players flatly rejected the alterations. Instead, the game saw a catastrophic collapse rather than the anticipated “surge“.

Players’ responses were predominantly unfavorable. The game encountered numerous problems, including a perplexing interface, lack of a lobby area, unpredictable frame rate drops, difficulty controlling recoil, and other technical issues. As the fundamental aspects deteriorated, so too did players’ enthusiasm for the game.

Removing the core mechanics swept the title out of the fans’ hearts

84 Farlight saw a significant drop in its player base following the removal of the jetpack feature. This element was similar to nitro in the game, providing speed and maneuverability that helped it outpace competitors within the genre. Players utilized the jetpack to move freely in any direction and exhibit unique styles during each skirmish. Moreover, many characters were defined by their playstyle when using the jetpack system.

Previously, there haven’t been any major overhauls to the game. Instead, the updates focused on refining character aspects, enhancing their performance, and adding elements to keep the game engaging. Essentially, all changes made were aimed at enhancing the player’s experience.

However, overhauling the entire system by introducing jetpacks proved too drastic a change for some players, causing them to abandon the game due to dissatisfaction with the revised fundamental mechanics, which they had found acceptable in previous updates.

To ensure the theme of this game remained authentic, maintaining high-performing and powerful weapons was crucial. Players are more engrossed in heated battles than appreciating a map’s aesthetics. However, when issues like recoil malfunctions, slow weapon switching, frame rate drops, and so on arose within the game, it became clear that improvements were necessary.

Farlight 84 missed every opportunity to become the top title in the BR genre

Some enthusiasts were prepared to engage in the game following the decline of Apex Legends Mobile. They viewed it as the upcoming major sensation. Indeed, there were numerous incentives that made the title an attractive choice for daily action-seeking entertainment. It offered a battle royale, intriguing characters, weapons, maps, and solid gameplay mechanics. However, it suffered a significant setback, ultimately paving the way for its downfall.

This player pointed out the low rating of the title on Google Play as a sign of its decline. He further stated that it had an unprecedented impact, but negatively so. Given his comments, it’s clear that he is quite upset about the game’s current state.

Speaking as a dedicated user, I must admit that the current Play Store rating at 3.1 is quite impressive, considering other apps out there. However, when you consider the massive Android community, this rating seems somewhat concerning, especially since it’s significantly lower than its counterpart on the App Store with a rating of 4.2.

Not everyone embraces the truth about things, but I respect these players for their undying love for the game. Yet, I’ve witnessed some players ridiculing Farlight 84 by suggesting its rating is nearly 1.3. While this claim is false, it’s crucial to grasp the underlying sentiment.

Nevertheless, a few players exhibited unyielding optimism, backing the developers even when fundamental game mechanics had vanished. While some endorsed the elimination of jetpacks and deemed the move appropriate, it’s intriguing to consider how frequently they engage with the game now.

Broken esports system, unfollowing successful titles, and other issues are behind the downfall

84 Farlight was first unveiled in the year 2020. Following nearly two years in beta testing, the game was rolled out globally. Packed with intense action, a variety of gameplay options, and battle royale aspects, it quickly gained popularity and acclaim.

Additionally, beyond the mentioned problems, the title encountered several crucial flaws. It lacked inspiration drawn from other successful titles in its genre and faltered in its marketing strategy. To make matters worse, its esports plan also proved unsuccessful.

They unveiled their esports strategy, which included the Farlight 84 Philippines Championship Season 1. Following the successful conclusion of the initial event, they intended to expand and even announced a massive million-dollar prize pool, along with a 5-year strategic plan. However, the steps taken to back it up seemed to contradict these plans.

In this game, they introduced a fresh map called Sunder Realms, where teams consist of just three members instead of the usual four. This unexpected change in team composition required players to adapt swiftly and adjust their playing style, tactics, and overall approach. Consequently, some players found it challenging to adapt and were initially discouraged. Notably, the esports scene was primarily structured around four-member squads, making this sudden shift on one map particularly impactful within the gaming community.

A new discussion arose concerning Ceanna’s combat abilities. Regardless of the harm inflicted upon her, with appropriate assistance from her teammates, she can sustain health battles for extended periods. This tactic became widely adopted and eventually led to feelings of monotony among players. As is customary, the developers seemed unresponsive to this trend in the competitive scene.

If the game had mimicked the winning strategies of popular battle royales or mainstream esports games, it might have been more successful. The methods that have already demonstrated effectiveness are paths the game could have taken to improve its performance.

From my perspective as a passionate fan, it’s clear that the game needed stronger marketing efforts in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region. It seemed to be more focused on the Philippines rather than having a global reach. Building and nurturing a community is crucial for spreading a game. Moreover, campaigns and university programs are typical methods to appeal to young audiences, which unfortunately, this title did not embrace. In summary, these factors combined led the game down a path from which it didn’t recover.

Although Farlight 84 aimed to offer an exceptional mobile gaming experience with numerous innovative features, various issues hampered its progress, resulting in it being perceived as a squandered chance.

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2025-03-09 07:12

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